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For many gay women and men, going out on a date can seem like an alien encounter (including the Sigourney Weaver variety). Since most gay people over 30 generally weren't out in high school, they either learned the rituals of courtship by faking their way through dates with the opposite sex or through the media, neither of which applies well to the real world.
Dating has always played an important role in gay life. It's the time to see if the person you were dazzled by at a party, on a dancefloor, or across a crowded checkout line is really the person with whom you want to share your life.
We've fashioned our look at dating after car shopping, since we've noted that many singles will invest more time researching and test driving their next Toyota than their next lover (see sidebar "Buy or Lease?"). The difference may be, as an observer wryly noted, that until gay marriages are legalized an auto contact is one of the few legally binding documents gay people are allowed to sign.
NOTE FROM THE EDITOR:
We've decided not to republish the responses from the men and women we interviewed for this story on the web. You'll need to pick up the paper version in Monterey. You may also request one by e-mail (postage and handling $2.00).
California Senate Committee Rejects Statewide DP Law
SACRAMENTO-A bill headed for the California Assembly that would have required state-contracted businesses to provide identical benefits to employees with domestic partners and those with married spouses was killed by a Senate Committee, the Associated Press reports. The bill was similar to San Francisco's benefits ordinance. 1270 S.F. contractors now offer the benefits to their employees. Since the ordinance requires that companies comply in all of its locations throughout the U.S., approximately 642,757 employees now receive equal benefits.
Gay Marriage Case Appealed to Vermont Supreme Court
Reuters reports three gay couples filed an appeal with Vermont's Supreme Court after their applications for licenses to marry were rejected. The lawsuit puts the state of Vermont in the forefront of the national debate over lesbian and gay marriage.
High Court Issues Decision on 'Full Faith' Dispute
The Supreme Court issued a unanimous ruling on Tuesday resolving a dispute between a Michigan court and a Missouri court in a product liability suit closely watched by gay and lesbian marriage rights advocates.
First Lesbian Couple Weds in Amsterdam
Reuters reports Irma van Praag and Anna Kreuger became the Netherlands' first lesbian couple to wed under the country's new marriage law which went into effect on January 1.
